Of Crimson Hair and Eyes
by SuperJimmy978
Summary: Sumia never planned to tell the truth. She planned to keep her true feelings about Cordelia to her grave, out of fear of losing her most treasured friendship. She tried to tell herself that that was the best course of action...until she nearly ended up in that grave. Now she finds herself deeply torn as she begins thinking about if she should confess after all... (Modern AU)
1. Chapter 1

The first thing Sumia heard was the sound of a steady heart monitor as she woke up.

She was completely confused. She looked around – her sight had yet to fully come back to her, but she looked and saw that she was in a hospital bed. Sumia had no idea how she got there, for the last thing she could remember was walking out her apartment to drive over to the bookstore 15 minutes away. Anything after that, Sumia couldn't remember, and she had no idea why. She tried and tried to remember what happened after she closed the door to her apartment but…nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Sumia groaned. She was currently experiencing something that she couldn't quite describe. The only thing she could think of was that it was a 'white tunnel' of sorts. Sumia tried to think of anything that could be causing this to happen, but not a single possibility popped into her mind. She could only groan a second time.

As her vision came back and the 'white tunnel' finally went away, she felt an enormous pain in her left arm. She came to the realization that it had been broken. saw a blonde-haired, and seemingly feminine looking doctor standing to her left; something about this doctor felt familiar, and when her vision came back to her, she recognized him as Doctor Libra, a devout Catholic with whom she had a math class with in college. He muttered something Sumia couldn't quite understand.

She then looked to her right, and sitting right besides her was a woman with a large nose, crimson eyes, and radiant red hair. It was her best friend, Cordelia, who now bore widened eyes and a huge smile.

"Oh my God, she's awake! You're awake!" Cordelia yelled out, and Sumia was still confused.

"I…I" Sumia had no idea what to say. "Cordelia, what is all this?"

"You're at the hospital, Sumia." Cordelia answered in a caring and concerned tone.

That didn't really answer Sumia's question. "But…why?"

Cordelia paused and took a moment to look down at the ground, before looking and Sumia and sighing a deep sigh. "You were in a car accident."

"And you've been in a coma for two weeks." Libra added on.

Sumia's mouth went silently agape at this. Her 2002 Toyota Camry may not have been the fanciest car in the world, but it had been her car for several years now, so to hear it was gone shook her bad, as did this situation as a whole. She was prepared to react accordingly…but then she took note of her right leg. Something didn't feel right, but the leg didn't feel broken. It just didn't feel there at all.

"And I'm sorry, Sumia." Libra then said in a solemn tone. "But we had to amputate your leg."

Now Sumia was at a complete loss of words. She just sat here, looking at Cordelia and Libra with her mouth agape. "I…I…I…" She had nothing to say. She wanted so badly to freak out over all of this, but for some reason, she couldn't. She didn't quite know what it was.

"It's completely alright to be shocked." Libra assured her. "I must say, though, that it's a miracle you're alive at all. That was a nasty car accident you got yourself in. We can thank the Lord himself for that, Sumia."

Cordelia let out a quiet 'mmph' to that, which didn't really surprise Sumia. Cordelia was never a religious person, though politeness and common sense prevented the redhead for muttering anything more.

"I just…I just…" Now Sumia finally could finally let out the urge to freak out. "So, half of my limbs are broken, and one of my legs is just gone entirely?"

"I'm sorry to say so."

Sumia had no words. She simply had no idea what to say in response to all of this.

"There are two things that can be done, Miss Sumia. We could get you into a wheelchair…or, you could get a prosthetic leg."

Sumia felt she didn't have to think about. She had a job as a zookeeper, and it was a job that she simply adored, due to being such a lover of animals, so she wanted to be able to walk around and be active.

"I'd like the prosthetic leg."

"We will get a prosthetic leg for you as soon as possible, then. I have to go handle something with another patient. I will come back as soon as I can."

After Doctor Libra left the room, Sumia took a deep breath and tried to imagine herself with a prosthetic leg. But then she really thought about it, about how much all of this would cost her, regardless of whether she got a wheelchair or a prosthetic leg, and she began to panic.

"W-w-wait a minute. Cordelia, h-how much is all of this gonna cost me, exactly?" Sumia hated to sound like she only cared about money, which was far from the case, but she hadn't always made the best financial decisions, so she didn't have _that _much money.

"Wait -"

"I just don't know if I can afford all this! Or will our insurance cover this?! I know I'm stupid for not knowing that. Oh, plop, I'm so screwed!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Cordelia piped in, squeezing Sumia's hand. "It's alright. You don't have to worry that much."

"What makes you say that? You know I've made some stupid decisions over the years!"

"Because I can help pay for all of this."

Sumia paused for a moment, shocked. "R-really? I don't want to burden you like this."

"Sumia, it's alright. _You _know how much money I have in my savings. I can help out, no problem."

She was right. Cordelia was able to handle her money far better than Sumia, to the point where she did everything during tax season, so she had a ton of money in her savings account. Sumia still couldn't help but feel a little bad, but seeing Cordelia be so kind to her like this…

It was why she had the biggest crush on her.

Then Doctor Libra came back into the room. "My apologies, Sumia. Now, we must discuss some things about the prosthetic leg –"

That was all he was able to get out before a nurse came into the room; Sumia actually recognized her as well. She was a blonde, very short woman with pigtails, named Lissa, who had just moved into the same apartment complex as Cordelia and Sumia; they were currently on a 'Facebook friend' level, but they still got along.

"Hey, Sumia! Good to see that you're awake." Lissa said, her face brightening up.

But Sumia looked down at her hospital bed, and Lissa's smile faded. "I'm sorry that we had to amputate your leg…."

"Don't be. I'm sure it was for the best."

Lissa nodded, then looked up at Libra. "Dr. Libra, I'm sorry, but the patient in Room 607 is…acting up again. If you're not too busy right now, we could use some help."

Libra showed a raised eyebrow, and he said, "I just tended to Gangrel not even a minute ago," lowering his voice as he did so, though Sumia could still hear him.

"Yeah, I know, but it's just…I actually don't know how to describe it."

Libra let out a sigh, and looked down at Sumia. "Do you feel odd in any way? Anything that has you concerned?"

"Not at the moment."

"That's good to hear. I'll be back as soon as I can, again. This patient is a rather odd fellow."

Libra walked out of the room, with Lissa following behind, leaving Sumia alone with the woman she loved so much. She looked at Cordelia, and let out an enormous smile as she squeezed the redhead's hand.

"I'm so glad you'll be alright," Cordelia said, squeezing Sumia's hand right back.

Sumia had no words at the moment. The stress of having two broken limbs and one lost limb was getting to her, so all she wanted to do was look into Cordelia's eyes, and there, she knew she would alright.

* * *

A few days later, after sorting things out with her job at the zoo, Sumia was now back in her apartment. She and Cordelia lived in an average-sized two bedroom apartment, with the living room coated a light peach. She stood with a 43'' TV on the opposite side of the room.

She wore a simple beige dress….and had crutches, an arm cast, a leg cast, and a prosthetic leg. Sumia was still trying to get used to the new leg, but it was almost surreal. It felt very weird to feel absolutely nothing there anymore; she just needed more time to get used to it.

Sitting on their lime green couch were two friends of hers and Cordelia's. One was a woman by the name of Sully, who sported short and messy red hair, and the other was a pale-skinned woman who sported long silver hair and wore all-black, named Robin. Cordelia and Sumia had met them both in college and kept in touch with them ever since, though Cordelia wasn't as close with Sully as Sumia was.

"Man, I cannot believe that Kellam refuses to get rid of that damn forest painting. Something about it is just goddamn creepy!" Sully said. She was irritated, and a tad drunk.

"Well, that portrait is an heirloom, right? I don't blame him," Robin countered.

Sully groaned. "You sound just like Stahl. I love the crap outta Kellam, but that portrait…no disrespect towards heirlooms, but maybe I can get him to move that shit somewhere else…"

It was just then that Cordelia came walking in from the kitchen, with two shots of tequila in her hand. "Sully, I really hope you weren't planning to drive home," Cordelia said, rolling her eyes as she placed one of the shots down on their coffee table.

Sully laughed. "Of course not! Robin's the designated driver." And with that, she quickly snatched the glass away and basically chugged it down. "Ah, tequila. Just the best."

Sumia let out a small chuckle – she had never drank any alcohol in her life, and Cordelia only did so with certain people, like Sully or their other friend Panne. She smiled as she drank her own shot of tequila, though not with the same energy as Sully.

Sumia looked up at Cordelia – the redhead was fairly tall, towering over Sumia, and she always had been – and took a moment to admire her elegant red hair, which was now tied up in a low ponytail. She then took note of what Cordelia was currently wearing, a green hoodie and jeans. It was simple clothing, but Sumia couldn't help but feel that Cordelia looked rather nice in them.

Then Robin said something to Cordelia in Japanese, and Cordelia replied back in that same language. They had a brief conversation in Japanese, with Sumia not understanding a single thing they were saying. Cordelia in particular was fluent in Japanese, Spanish, and Cherokee in addition to her native English, and she was currently learning both German and Mandarin. Sumia didn't think she could ever hope to learn six languages in her entire lifetime, but Cordelia was a smart woman, which was part of why Sumia loved her so.

"Speak English!" Sully yelled out, though there was no true aggression behind her winds. It was just that like Sumia, she could not speak Japanese at all. "What kind of secrets could you two be hiding?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Cordelia replied. "We're just talking about my new job." Cordelia had recently gotten a new job as a museum curator, and it was something she enjoyed very much…though it was not without its problems. "I always like going in an hour early just to get a head start on everything, and my coworkers are always telling me I just need to relax a little, but I can't. Acquitting and authenticating artifacts keeps me busy, and you can imagine I hate having nothing to do there."

Sumia appreciated how hard her crush worked, but sometimes she got worried. "Well, please don't overwork yourself, Cordelia." And this was not the first time she had said that.

"Oh, don't you worry. I'll be fine."

Sumia wanted to continue on, but Sully piped in before she could. "Ugh, forgive me," the other redhead lamented as she put the glass back onto the table. "I tend to ramble on when I'm drunk. That prosthetic leg treating you alright, Sumia?"

Sumia let out a small sigh. "Yeah, it's…" There was a brief pause as Sumia looked down at the leg. "It's alright so far. At the very least, I seem to be tripping less." Sumia truly hoped that she was jinxing anything.

"That's good. I really don't know what else to tell you other than that I'm here if you need anything. I just hope that leg keeps treating you okay, I hope you can find a decent new car, and I hope the jackass who forgot to look away from his phone for one second gets some serious karma."

"I just hope that it all works out," Sumia said.

"Don't worry," Cordelia assured her, placing her glass down on the table. "It will. Now, excuse me for a moment."

Cordelia walked away, towards the bathroom. As she did so, their cat Belfire came out from Sumia's bedroom. She was a long-haired tuxedo cat, and she let out a loud meow. Ordinarily, Sumia would've gone right up to the cat and give her a lot of attention, but she instead paid no attention to Belfire; she had other things on her mind. With Cordelia out of the room, and subsequently out of earshot, Sumia sat down on the couch, placing her crutches at the very end, and let out a deep sigh.

"Okay, real quick," She whispered in a hasty tone, for Cordelia could come back at any minute. "I really thought this whole situation with the car accident would take my mind off my feelings for Cordelia, but it's not. I just – I just – help."

Robin let out a small smile and shook her head, and as she did, Belfire jumped right onto her lap. "Look, Sumia," she began as she started petting Belfire, "I think this whole situation might be jarring these feelings out, actually."

Sumia raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, think about it. The fact is, you could've died, and you never would've told Cordelia the truth. That's probably consuming the back of your mind."

"Agreed." Sully added on. "Look, this might be the liquor talking, but just tell her already."

Sumia rubbed her neck. "I don't know…"

"Sully's right. You've been hiding these feelings for _years_. I know you think she'll reject you and that'll be the end of your friendship…but you don't quite know that for certain. What I'm saying is, go for it. You could be pleasantly surprised."

Robin smiled genuinely and comfortingly, which made Sumia feel a little better. But that smile went away when Sully looked at her phone and let out a yell of irritation.

"Oh, for God's sake, Vaike! Stop hassling my babe like that!"

It was just then that Cordelia came back, with a look of confusion on her face. "Everything alright?"

"Vaike won't stop annoying Kellam. Hey, come on, Robin – I gotta go deal with this!"

"Erm, right," Was all Robin said back with as the two got up, with Belfire jumping off Robin's lap. "Thanks for having us over, guys. This was fun."

"No problem." Cordelia replied, still looking a little confused.

"Yeah, see you later!" Sully said as she headed out the door.

As they said their byes, Robin placed her hand on Sumia's shoulder. "Remember what I said, Sumia." She whispered.

"Right, right." Sumia whispered back.

And with that, Robin was out the door, leaving Sumia and Cordelia alone in their apartment.

Sumia looked at Cordelia again, and she couldn't help but feel a little flustered. She played with her hair for a moment before deciding that she needed some space to herself, to think.

"I'm going to outside for a little while." Sumia says, before getting ahold of her crutches and beginning to walk away towards their sliding door.

Cordelia let out a small chuckle. "In just that dress? Here, hold on. I can get one of your jackets."

Cordelia walked away again, and Sumia just stood there and shook her head at herself. How could she have forgotten, she thought to herself, as it was a chilly night in November. Cordelia got a jean jacket for Sumia and helped get it on for her.

"Thanks." Sumia said in a grateful tone.

"No problem." Cordelia replied with a smile, giving Sumia a small pat on the shoulder, before going up to the slider door and opening it up for Sumia.

Sumia wished she wasn't, but she blushed a little. As soon as she was outside, Cordelia closed the door behind her.

Sumia just stood there for a few moments. She welcomed the brisk fresh air, and looked out at the city. She always loved seeing the night life in action, even though she rarely if ever took part in it.

She took another look at Cordelia, who now had the TV on while looking at a notebook; she was a very organized person, one who had a firm idea of what she would be doing the next day. Their other cat, a long tan-furred fellow named Aurora, jumped up on the couch and began rubbing her leg. Cordelia took a moment and pulled on one of her black socks, but then went straight back to looking at her notebook and petting Aurora.

Sumia stopped looking at Cordelia and turned her attention back the city beyond her. But Cordelia was still very much in Sumia's mind, and that's because Robin was right: The car accident was making Sumia rethink her decision regarding her feelings of Cordelia.

She couldn't remember how much she loved Cordelia anymore. And she didn't know why. They had been friends for twenty years at this point, and living together for six, and she remembered the exact date they met – November 16, 1993 – but she couldn't remember when her feelings for her redheaded friend blossomed like this.

She tried to push down the feelings. Let alone did she have a prosthetic leg to try and get used to, something that couldn't truly happen until her arm and other leg healed…but Cordelia didn't like her back. At least, Sumia was confident that she didn't. That's why she kept these feelings in; she was sure that Cordelia wouldn't go so far as to cut her off and that they would still be close, given everything they had gone through together, but Sumia still wanted to play it absolutely safe and keep it to her grave. And worry about the fact that she had lost a leg.

But then, what if she _did _like Sumia back? Sumia then took a moment to think about that. If this car accident had taken her life, then she would've died without Cordelia ever knowing that her feelings were reciprocated. And she knew Cordelia well enough. That was something the redhead would never truly be able to get over.

She looked down at her prosthetic leg. It served as a grave reminder that her life had almost come to end, at the young age of 26. The fact that she lost all feeling down there made her think about how lucky she was to even survive the crash. She had planned to take these feelings for Cordelia to her grave, but now she had almost ended up in that grave, and now she wasn't so sure.

She placed her hand on the prosthetic leg, and she shook her head. Sumia knew now that she had to tell Cordelia the truth – it was just a matter of figuring out when and how.

Things were not helped when Sumia heard the sliding door open and saw Cordelia coming out in the corner of her eye. Sumia turned her head and then titled it back as Cordelia came closer to her. Then, when she placed her hand on the brunette's shoulder, Sumia felt a little flustered due to the timing of it all.

Cordelia let out a sigh. "Sumia, I'm so sorry that this all happened to you."

Sumia raised an eyebrow. "But you didn't do anything."

"I know, I know, but you don't deserve this. I don't think anyone does, really."

Cordelia let out another sigh. She was a frequent sigher, and Sumia would've teased her for sighing twice in ten seconds had other things not been on her mind.

There was a brief moment of silence before Sumia quickly broke it. "I-I can never thank you enough for helping to pay for this leg."

A smile formed onto Cordelia's face. "No problem at all."

"I-in fact, I'm the one who should be apologizing. That must've put a huge dent in your –"

"Sumia, it was for a situation that wasn't your fault, you wouldn't have been able to afford the bills on your own, and I can manage my savings just fine."

Cordelia rubbed Sumia's shoulder for a few moments. "Don't worry about it, alright?"

Sumia knew in the back of her head that she didn't really need to apologize to Cordelia, and she brought up several good points, but she still couldn't help it. Apologizing excessively was Sumia's own little quirk – well, one of them, anyway.

Her friend took a deep breath. "So, I know that leg is going to take a long while to get used to, so if there's anything more you need from me…"

"I-I-I," Sumia suddenly interrupted before Cordelia could finish. And then she just stood there, completely forgetting where she was going to go from here. She lost herself in Cordelia's gaze. She stared up at her crimson eyes, and though Cordelia had a confused look on her face, Sumia still felt that here eyes were as beautiful as they always were.

"…Sumia?"

"Oope. Sorry. My mind blanked. Heh. Forgot where I was going to go from there. Heh heh."

"…Right. Well, all I was going to say was that I'm here for you. No matter what."

That was far from the first time that Cordelia had spoken those words, but Sumia always appreciated them. The kindness and patience that Cordelia had for Sumia was a major part of why she loved that woman so much. And part of why she had always refrained from being honest. She was afraid of losing that.

Sumia was silent for a long time. She genuinely had no idea what to say there. She just stood there, her face flustered. Cordelia was even more confused now, and Sumia was chuckling nervously.

"Soooo….it's not as chilly as it's been, has it?" she asked, as that was the only thing that could pop into her mind.

Cordelia nodded. "It is, thankfully. Sorry. I know you want to be alone."

She began to walk away, but Sumia didn't want that. She wanted to tell Cordelia how she felt here, even if she had no clue how. She reached out for Cordelia's shoulder…only to lose balance as her crutch fell onto the ground.

Her face almost got planted onto the wooden deck, which was a feeling Sumia was all too used to. But then she didn't quite hear that thud, for Cordelia caught her before she could do so.

"Jesus, Sumia, you alright?" Cordelia asked in a concerned tone. Even though she had seen Sumia trip and fall many times, the crutches and broken arm certainly made it more dangerous.

"Yeah…I'm fine," Sumia held onto the wooden rail until Cordelia got her crutch and helped her get it back into place. "Man, all these years and I still find a way to trip and fall. But anyway, C-Cordelia, there w-as something I wanted to tell you."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, but also had a small smile. "Of course. Go ahead."

"Ummm,"

Sumia was back to having no idea what to say. She could feel her heart racing at this point, and it was probably beating so loudly that Cordelia could hear it without any problem. She began to look left and right, and even though it was quite chilly, she almost thought she could feel sweat pouring down from her face.

"Sumia?"

Sumia looked down at the ground. "Cordelia, I-I-I –," but she could still not spit it out, and she cursed herself for it.

She stared Cordelia up and down, and suddenly began admiring random things about her. The first thing she observed was her hair, which flowed wild and untamed; Sumia always thought that Cordelia looked great with that hairstyle. Then she payed attention to her figure – she was much more fit than Sumia was due to having regularly gone to the gym since high school. Sumia took a brief look at Cordelia's fingers, which were much longer and more slender than her own, before finally taking a look at her breasts. Well, Sumia didn't pay much attention to the breasts in of themselves. She thought more about how Cordelia always felt so insecure about her small breasts, though Sumia for her part didn't really care about their size; she thought that her friend was the prettiest girl she had ever met regardless of them.

"Sumia?" Cordelia said again, but this time her voice had a small tint of sternness to it, and Sumia wasn't getting any less nervous. "You know, you're acting really strangely."

"I know, I know, it's just…really hard to spit this out…I…I…"

Now Cordelia had a look of mixed feelings on her face. There seemed to be part-concern on her face, and part of her face showed that she wanted Sumia to finally let whatever she wanted to say out.

But then her face lit up in complete surprise, and she froze up and stared off into space, her cheeks even began to turn a little red.

"Cordelia?"

Cordelia just stood there for a moment, that expression refusing to leave her face. Sumia initially had no idea what could've been going on in her mind. But then she began to wonder.

Did Cordelia figure it out on her own?

Cordelia looked down at Sumia, that expression still glued on, and Sumia could faintly hear her whisper. "You love me…"

Now Sumia's face lit up, and Cordelia covered her mouth, clearly not intending to have said that out loud, even as a whisper.

"I-I don't know what to say," that uncharacteristic stutter from Cordelia really surprised Sumia, as did seeing her cheeks turn as red as her hair; it was a sight Sumia so rarely often saw from her roommate.

But now that Cordelia figured it out on her own, Sumia felt a massive weight come off her shoulders, and she now felt that she could speak about her feelings. "Yes, yes, I do love you."

Then Sumia took a deep breath, and decided if she was going to do this, she might as well pour her heart into it.

"I've loved you for a long time, Cordelia. I can't even remember how long, but that doesn't matter now. I just want you know to know _why _I'm in love with you." Sumia took another deep breath and prepared herself for this next part, knowing that there was no going back now. "Because you're strong, you're brilliant, you're inspiring, and most importantly, because you've stood by my side for so long, no matter how ridiculous or excessive my clumsy antics got. For so long, everyone else either wrote me off or teased me. But you saw me and took me in right away. For the longest time, you were my only friend. You were always the only person who actually made me feel like I matter. The way you would comfort me, and dry my tears, and tell me that I _was _worth something, especially when my parents died…it meant a lot to me. And even now that we know Sully and Robin and a bunch of other wonderful people, I haven't forgotten any of that."

There was a brief pause before Sumia smiled. "You mean everything to me, Cordelia."

Cordelia simply stood there, clearly unsure of what she should say. Sumia took a few deep breaths. It felt so good to finally let all of that out, but at the same time, she had no idea what Cordelia would say. After knowing her for so long, this was the first time that Sumia had absolutely no idea how her friend would respond. And that made her a bit more nervous than ever before.

"Forgive me, Sumia. I'm still trying to process this."

Cordelia's loss of words did little to alleviate Sumia's concerns. "I'm s-sorry. I-I'll just –"

"Oh, come now," Cordelia replied, her voice now quite stern. "You don't have to apologize for anything."

Now Sumia was confused.

"Look, dear," Cordelia added on, walking up to Sumia and shortening the space between them, which flustered the latter. "I've wanted to tell you this for so long."

Cordelia then placed her hand on Sumia's shoulder again, and the redhead was looking down at her with burning passion in her eyes, causing Sumia to fluster even more.

"Sumia, meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You have been so sweet and so supportive since the beginning. And about what you said earlier, about not wanting me to overwork myself. I know it seems like I just brush it off whenever you tell me that, but I really do appreciate it. It's just so nice seeing you care like that. And the funny thing is, part of how I'm able to deal with the stress and the demanding schedule is because of you. I've never quite figured out what it is, but Sumia, being around you just helps lighten the weight off my shoulders. A lot of the stress just fades away. I think it's because of how kind you are, and how you pick me up whenever I do fall. And you brought enormous comfort to me when my own parents died…I can't thank you enough for it all."

Cordelia got even closer now, and moved her hand onto Sumia's cheek, which caused the brunette's cheeks to turn a deep red. And Cordelia's face began to turn a tad sheepish, which was also uncharacteristic.

"And, I must admit, you telling me that my breasts are fine is always appreciated. But they're still so small…"

Sumia let out a chuckle. "Well, they_ are_ fine. You're breathtakingly beautiful regardless."

Cordelia let out a big smile, but that smile quickly faded as she placed her other hand on Sumia's arm cast while moving her eyes towards Sumia's prosthetic leg.

"At least the arm and the leg will heal after a little while, but….I still can't believe that happened to you. I know I already just said this, but you don't deserve this. I will do everything I can to help you. That's a promise."

Sumia now smiled shyly, not knowing how else to react. She was just so overwhelmed with joy.

But then before she knew it, both of Cordelia's hands were on her cheeks and the redhead leaned down to kiss her right on the lips. It took Sumia by complete surprise; she had never kissed anyone, or been kissed, and she had certainly never imagined that it would happen so soon after she finally told Cordelia the truth…but it felt right. It just completely felt right. It got to the point where Sumia shed a tear of joy; she had always told herself that she wouldn't do such a thing, but she couldn't help it.

Cordelia pulled away, and there was a silence between the two as she brushed Sumia's tear away. Sumia wanted to lung at Cordelia and hug her as hard as she possibly could, but her broken arm and leg prevented that from happening. She had another idea.

"W-would you just want to sit down and watch TV for a while, a-a-and cuddle?"

She was delighted by Cordelia's answer. "Of course, love."

Cordelia opened the door for Sumia, and the two began walking up to their couch, which Sumia once more sitting on the end of the couch, placing her crutches right on the edge.

Then Sumia felt herself being embraced by Cordelia. "Finally," Cordelia whispered to himself, and Sumia couldn't help but enjoy herself being held by her new girlfriend.

"Here, hold up – now I'm sorry. I should get us a blanket," Cordelia suddenly said, before leaving the couch.

Cordelia walked away, and while she was gone, both Belfire and Aurora jumped onto the couch, with Belfire planting herself right next to Sumia's leg and Aurora resting on the top of the couch. Sumia petted the purring Belfire for a few moments before Cordelia came back with a blanket.

She placed the blanket on the edge of the couch and picked up Belfire. "Nope. Sorry, Belfire, you're gonna have sit somewhere else."

Belfire let out a meow of protest, but Cordelia ignored it and placed her on the opposite end of the couch from Aurora. Cordelia then sat down next to Sumia, and wrapped her and herself in the blanket, while watching TV.

Sumia looked up at her now-girlfriend. "So, Cordelia, you know what I miss most about our childhoods?"

"What?"

"Sleeping in the same bed as you."

Cordelia stroked Sumia's hair. "Yeah, I've really missed that, too…This does mean we can turn one of our rooms in the guest room. Question is…which one of us should give up our room?"

"Yeah, no, let's not worry about that right now. I just want to lay here and enjoy this."

The redhead let out one more sigh for the night. "…Fine. But that _is _something we will discussing later on. And we also have to begin looking for a new car for you. Though I'll drive you around in the meantime, of course."

"Fair enough."

Sumia allowed Cordelia to rope her back into her arms, and both had enormous smiles on their faces. Sumia wrapped her one good arm around Cordelia, and pressed her head as much as she could into the shirt underneath Cordelia's unzipped hoodie.

She couldn't believe it. Sumia could not believe that this was happening. She had dreamed and daydreamed of this for so long, but now this was really happening….and she couldn't be happier. Sumia could not have been happier that Cordelia was her girlfriend now. All those hours she had spent worrying about it, and concluding that Cordelia didn't reciprocate her feelings, had proved to be for naught, and she felt bad that it took breaking an arm and a leg and losing the other leg for her to finally get the courage to tell the truth, but Sumia decided not to think too hard about that right now. And she honestly didn't know what was playing on their TV; she was never a regular watcher of television anyway, but especially not now. It was simply white noise to her.

She simply continued to press her head against Cordelia's shirt, and let out another tear of joy.


	2. Chapter 2

Sumia's warmth was all Cordelia wanted to feel at the moment.

It had been six years since they had confessed their love to one another. Cordelia proposed to Sumia after two years of dating, and it wasn't long before they were wed.

They laid there, on what used to be just Cordelia's bed – in the end, Sumia was the one who made her bedroom in a guest room – and as the morning light peeped into the bedroom, Cordelia held Sumia tightly in her arms and stroked her hair. Cordelia smiled. She never thought she could lay still and do nothing, but this was one of the best feelings she had ever had.

Cordelia turned to the right and pulled her phone up to check the time. _8:15 _is what stared back at her.

Cordelia groaned before placing her hand on Sumia's head and saying, "Alright, get up, honey. We have to get ready."

Sumia whined. "I don't wanna get up."

"We have to. It's Sully's big day, and you especially have to be there. Now let's start getting ready."

"Can't we lay here for just five more minutes."

"I'll give you _one _more minute, and then we have to get up."

And so Cordelia held Sumia for one more minute, tightening her grip on the love of her life. But when a minute passed, Cordelia moved Sumia off from her and got up on her feet. She stretched her arms while Sumia also got up, and yawned. Cordelia looked down at Sumia – even with her hair all messy, she was still easy on the redhead's eyes.

* * *

A little while later, Cordelia and Sumia were both in their kitchen, clothed in black dresses. Sumia was braiding Cordelia's hair while the latter had her hand in front of her face, checking up on her nails.

After many years of dating, Kellam and Sully were finally tying the knot. Cordelia was one of the bridesmaids, while Sumia was the maid-of-honor.

"Oof, I still have that bruise from the bachelorette party," Cordelia heard Sumia say as she finished braiding the redhead's hair.

"Well, you did trip pretty hard."

Sumia sighed. "I know I don't trip as often with the prosthetic leg, but I still feel awful every time I do."

Cordelia turned around and looked down at Sumia, shaking her hand. "It's alright. High school's long over, and no one thinks any less of you."

"I know, I know, but I still worry about tripping over something and ruining Sully's wedding."

Cordelia remembered how anxious Sumia was over this when it was their own special day. She remembered the way Sumia would stare at the ground with a massive frown every time it popped into her mind. Cordelia moved closer to Sumia and tilted the brunette's head up with her finger so Sumia would look up and make eye contact with Cordelia.

"It's fine. It will be fine. You didn't trip at our wedding at all, remember? And when you stumbled at the reception, we all laughed it off and continued having a good time."

Cordelia pressed a kiss onto Sumia's forehead and heard her giggle.

"I just hope I don't find some other way to mess it up."

"You won't. Stop fretting over it, dear."

Sumia responed with a 'hmm' before moving over to the kitchen, eyeing the top cabinet. She got on her tiptoes to open the door, but she still couldn't quite reach the loaf of bread that was placed up there.

"Cordelia, what I have said about placing the bread up here?" Sumia said with a whine.

Cordelia chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I just find it funny, you know?"

"Jerk."

Cordelia went over to the cabinet and lifted her arm up to grab the bread with ease, and the tall redhead looked down at her much shorter wife with a smile. "Fine. I won't do it again."

But then the smile faded from her face quickly as she added on, "Alright, breakfast has to be quick, though. We don't have much time before we have to be at the venue."

"Right, right. Let's just have toast," was all Sumia replied with at first. It was a few moments before she asked, "Oh, and did you want to talk to Stahl at the wedding reception?"

"Yeah, that seems like it would be a nice time to talk to him."

Aurora and Belfire were both walking around the apartment, and Aurora meowed, going over to Cordelia. Cordelia bent down to scratch her face, which the cat emanated purrs in response to.

She looked over to Sumia, knowing that the idea of her tripping at the wedding was still in her mind. Sumia really had nothing to worry about.

At least, Cordelia hoped she had nothing to worry about.

* * *

Cordelia did not want her wedding to be outdoors, as the thoughts of bad weather rang too loudly into her mind. Sully and Kellam didn't mind, though, and so the sun shined into Cordelia's face as she walked down the aisle. They were lucky that it was such a wonderful day.

Wedding music was playing through the air as Cordelia looked around. There were many rows and rows of white chairs, and there was a sea of people in attendance. The sky was a crystal blue, and the grass was a pleasant green. They all looked at Cordelia and Frederick. Frederick was a tall, square-jawed, and muscular man, who bore a face of sternness and seriousness. With their arms joined together, they simply walked down the aisle until they got to the front, after which they separated to join the other groomsmen and bridesmaids.

The only other ones present were a lanky, silver-haired man named Henry on the groom's side and a fit, pink-haired and fair-looking lady named Cherche on the bride's side. It took Cordelia a few moments to see the towering behemoth that was Kellam, who stood there with his hands clasped together.

'_How does he do that? Being so hard to see when he's so damn tall?_' Cordelia wondered to herself.

As she looked at the aisle, she saw two more people coming: Panne and Vaike. Vaike was surely an…interesting character, but Cordelia smiled at the sight of the lean Cherokee woman coming her way as she separated from Vaike. She befriended Panne as a co-worker towards the second half of high school, and as Panne stopped to stand next to Cordelia, she returned the smile before facing forward. Cordelia was just happy to have another person in her life who understood the struggles of being a tall woman.

The next people to walk down the aisle were Lissa and Donnel, and they were followed by Chrom and Robin. While Cordelia always had some feelings for Sumia, she crushed hard on Chrom back in college. But he began dating Robin during their junior year. Cordelia smiled at the thought. She remembered how bad she took it back then, and how well it worked out.

She was remembered of why it worked out when she saw Sumia walking down the aisle with the best man of the wedding, a skinny lad by the name of Stahl. Cordelia could see nervousness in the eyes of her love. She tried to hide it by smiling at the people in the rows, but Cordelia had known Sumia long enough to know when she was faking it. It wasn't long before Stahl and Sumia got into their places, with Sumia chuckling weakly and looking down at her feet. Sumia stood next to Robin, and Cordelia looked over at Sumia, watching as she breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't long before the wedding music intensified as everyone in the crowd began to stand up. Sully was being escorted down the aisle by her father, and Cordelia watched as they were stunned by how she appeared in her wedding gown. As Sully's father presented her over to Kellam, Cordelia thought back to her own wedding for a moment. She remembered when Sumia's grandfather escorted her down the aisle, and presented her over to Cordelia, who was in Kellam's position at the wedding.

The minister was none other than Doctor Libra, who just so happened to have a marriage license.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" Libra said, as Cordelia watched on.

Cordelia stood alongside the other bridesmaids, watching as Kellam and Sully looked at each other with gleaming eyes and burning passion. However, Cordelia could not help but notice Sumia shaking ever so slightly, and the redhead let out a very quiet sigh. She was thankful that no one seemed to notice her do this. Everyone's eyes were glued to the bride and the groom.

There wasn't going to be anything religious in this wedding, meaning that it wouldn't be long before Kellam and Sully placed their rings onto each other's hands. Libra went on for a little while, and eventually, Kellam and Sully began to speak their vows to each other.

Cordelia tried to keep her focus onto the soon-to-be-married couple as they poured their hearts and souls into the words that they spoke, but part of her attention was still on her own wife. Every now and then, she could still see Sumia shake for just a few moments, right down to her prosthetic leg trembling.

Cordelia quickly frowned at this. She understood why. From kindergarten all the way to high school, people were a tad meaner to Sumia whenever she had a klutzy moment. Even now, when both where in their early thirties and those days were long gone, some feelings never truly go away.

Cordelia jolted back to reality when she saw Kellam and Sully exchanging their rings after finishing their vows. She then heard Libra say, "Do you take this woman to your wife?"

Kellam smiled down at Sully. "I do."

"And Sully, do you take this man as your husband?"

"I do."

"Then I hereby pronounce you husband and wife!"

Cordelia clapped along with everyone else as the two kissed. Sully and Kellam then walked down the aisle, their arms linked together and their faces gleaming with joy. Then Stahl and Sumia went down after them, and Cordelia saw that same nervousness consume Sumia, despite her best efforts to try and hide it. She and Stahl merely smiled at the rows of people clapping and cheering, and they walked their way down the aisle.

The other groomsmen and bridesmaids in front of Cordelia began going down that aisle, and when it was her turn, she linked her arm with Frederick's and the two walked down as well.

She smiled, and she began thinking about what the reception party would be like. She was sure that it would be fun, but the thoughts of Sumia were still in the back of her mind.

Again, she hoped that it would all be fine.

* * *

A few hours later, they were all at the reception party. The reception was being held in the same park that the wedding was held at. Everyone around her was laughing and conversing, and Cordelia stood by one of the edge tables, conversing with Panne.

"So….how's getting that new house coming along?" Panne asked, sipping down on some wine.

"Oh, I'm still trying to get everything finalized, you know? I want to be absolutely sure that this is the perfect home for us."

Panne tilted her head. "Have you told Sumia yet?"

Cordelia looked down at the ground and smiled, replying "…No. I'm still trying to surprise her with it. She was pretty much resigned to living in an apartment for the rest of her life. I can't wait to see the look on her face tomorrow."

The redhead looked around, seeing if she could see Sumia anywhere. But the brunette seemed to blend in with the crowd. She saw Stahl rubbing his neck and nervously smiling as Lissa laughed at something he said, Robin waving her hands around with joy as she discussed something related to her job to Chrom, and Cherche texting someone on her phone. Most of the other people she immediately saw were relatives of either Sully's or Kellam's. They did seem like perfectly nice people, Cordelia thought – neither side of the family seemed to have any bad apples in them.

"Well, what about Stahl?" Panne asked. "When were you gonna talk to him?"

"Some time after today. It is a pretty big thing to ask of him."

Cordelia and Sumia wanted a baby, and they were going to ask Stahl if he would be the surrogate father. Cordelia stared into space for a moment while thinking about it. She imagined all the times she and Sumia played together as kids, and the drama they went through in high school. She smiled.

'_And to think Sumia and I could very well be parents…_'

"Hey there, Cordelia," Stahl said from behind, causing Cordelia to jolt back into reality.

Cordelia turned to face the man, chuckling. "Hey, Stahl! How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing alright. Personally, I'm just waiting for everyone else to have a piece of cake so I can get more for myself."

Cordelia shook her head. "I always wonder how you manage to stay so skinny when you eat so much."

"Oh, I go the gym. I know I'm not ripped, but I go the gym to maintain my current physique, and hey, that's worked out pretty well."

"I suppose it has."

Stahl cupped his chin. "I was going to ask you something…" he said, tapping his foot. "What was it, though? What was it….oh yeah, have you seen Donnel anywhere!"

Cordelia pointed left. "I think I saw him walking over there with Frederick. No idea what they'd be doing, though."

Stahl nodded. "Eh, that's fine. I just gotta remind him about something. Thanks, Cordelia."

"No problem."

And with that, Stahl walked away. Cordelia watched him as he left, completely oblivious to what she and Sumia wanted to ask of him later on. Stahl seemed like the person they knew who'd most likely be up for it, but it was still a major choice.

Just then, Robin walked by...carrying on her arms her daughter, Lucina. Lucina was only three years old, and she sported short blue hair and a silver gray dress.

Cordelia grinned ear-to-ear to the little one. "Hey there, sweetie!" she said as Robin walked closer to her and Panne.

"Cordy! Panney!" Lucina said, waving towards the two and smiling.

Lucina extended her arms over to Cordelia, who hoisted her off of Robin and into her own arms.

"How are you, Lucina?" Cordelia asked with a smile.

"Good," was all Lucina replied with.

Panne smiled and crossed her arms. "I gotta say Robin….Lucina is the best baby ever. She's just so chill…."

Just then, some other kids came running by, screaming and laughing. Panne let out a murmur under a breath. Lucina was the only kid Cordelia saw Panne enjoy having around.

Panne then raised her finger up, looking down at Robin and asking, "Oh, hey, did Lucina enjoy _Moana_?"

"Oh boy!" Robin said, lighting up with a laugh as she did. "She cannot get enough of that movie. Or _Frozen. _Or any of the _Toy Story _movies, although that incinerator scene seems to really scare her," said. "Those are basically the only things on at our house anymore. Chrom doesn't care what she watches as long as it's not _The Emoji Movie_."

Cordelia nodded. "That sounds pretty reasonable."

Robin's smile then faded. "Ah, but the reason I came is that Sumia's acting a bit…eccentric."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, I know she's never been the most social person, but she's just acting all jittery and anxious. Well, even more than I've seen her act at other places."

Cordelia briefly smiled towards Lucina as she held the toddler, before sighing. "Alright, I'll go check on her," she said, before looking over to Panne. "You want to hold Lucina?"

"Of course," Panne replied as Cordelia sent her over the other women.

Cordelia began looking around. She saw Lissa and Maribelle chatting about how they should drink each other's favorite tea sometime, and Gaius eating a bag of about six chocolate chip cookies.

'_How the hell does he stay in such good shape?_' Cordelia thought to herself as Gaius munched down on his sweets.

But Gaius was not the person she needed to worry about at the moment, and Cordelia kept looking around, until she heard a chair trip over behind her. The redhead turned around to see that it was Sumia, who was struggling to keep her balance for a few moments before she chuckled nervously at the two older folders there. The elders merely raised their eyebrows at Sumia.

Cordelia watched as Sumia swept off her dress for some reason, before she walked up to her. "Sumia," she uttered.

Sumia jumped up at the sound of her wife, as a sea of people chatted all around them. "O-o-oh, hey C-Cordelia,"

"Come now," Cordelia replied with. "Everything okay?"

Sumia looked down at the ground the whole time while saying, "Yeah, Cordelia. I'm totally fine. You have no reason whatsoever to worry about me. No reason at all. No siree – well, okay 'siree' is probably not the right word to use there," before stopping for a moment to chuckle. She continued with "I'm going to be a burden on you tonight, Cordelia. That is a prom -"

Cordelia placed her hand on Sumia's shoulder and interrupted with "Love, get a grip!"

Sumia then breathed deeply and finally made eye contact as she tilted her head back to look up at Cordelia. "Look, I'm really sorry…"

"Hey hey hey. Don't apologize. I was just wanting to check up on you. And you are not a burden, but you're definitely not okay right now, either."

Sumia whimpered, and looked around. Cordelia did too, at all the people talking, laughing, and drinking. Their voices were almost overwhelming even for the redhead, and in that moment, all of this clicked in her mind as to why the brunette was anxious.

"There's just so many people here," Sumia said. "I didn't realize how many relatives Sully and Kellam had. I'm just worried how I might screw things up with a crowd as big as this."

"Look, Sumia -"

"I mean, look at all of these people, Cordelia. There's so, so many. Ooh, I was so happy when Sully asked me to be her maid-of-honor, but I knew it. I knew I would mess something up with a crowd as big as this. I just didn't want to make Sully unhappy, you know? I - "

"Sumia!" Cordelia interrupted, grabbing Sumia's hands and intertwining their fingers together. Sumia looked up at the redhead and breathed quietly but rapidly.

Cordelia continued on. "Just take a deep breath…"

The brunette obliged, and Cordelia sighed for a moment before smiling while narrowing her eyes. "You didn't trip when walking down the aisle, nor you stumble or anything when Sully and Kellam spoke their vows, nor did you trip when you left the altar. You did not mess up the wedding in any way. Sully and Kellam most likely cared more about that than the reception. You. Are. Fine."

Sumia squeezed the palms of Cordelia's hands. "Okay…okay….maybe if I do some flower fortunes -"

"No, not the flower fortunes. You don't need flowers to tell you what to do, love. Just focus on having fun."

Sumia nodded. "Alright, alright…" she said, before she began chuckling.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Remember when you worded it 'You don't need some 'weed' to tell you what to do'? That certainly came out wrong, didn't it?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes out of her sockets and shook her head. "Oh, shut up, you."

Sumia chuckled and lightly slapped Cordelia's shoulder with her hand. "Oh, it's funny and you know it!"

Cordelia closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, as long as you're feeling better, I guess," before mumbling under her breath.

The brunette tugged her wife down for a kiss on a cheek. "I'm gonna go talk to Sully and Kellam."

"Alright," Cordelia replied, before the two parted ways. Cordelia turned to look back at Sumia as she walked away.

Just then, Cordelia heard a small tear. She let out a 'hmm' and looked at the bottom of her dress, to see small rip.

"Motherfu…" she began, before seeing Lucina nearby and cutting herself off at the last second. Robin was holding her as she discussed her work life with Chrom.

Lucina waved at Cordelia, and she waved back. Frederick walked up to Chrom and Robin, tapping the former's shoulder and saying something that Cordelia couldn't hear. The two men walked away, and Robin looked over at the redheaded woman.

"Is Sumia doing any better?" Robin asked.

Cordelia nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I had a talk with her. She should be fine. But I did have a really similar conversation with her this morning. I don't want to sound like an ass, but I did feel like a broken record."

"It's alright. Anxieties can be a real pain."

"Yeah, ain't that the truth…"

Lucina began waving her hands around. "Sumia, Sumia!"

Robin laughed. "You want to go see Sumia, sweetheart?"

Lucina nodded quickly. "I do!"

Cordelia was looking at the rip in her dress, and Robin kept a smile on her face while shaking her head. "What are you looking at, Cordelia?"

When Cordelia explained, Robin laughed. "Oh come on! That's a tiny hole! You can barely see it!"

Cordelia narrowed her eyes. "You know full well that these dresses weren't cheap. Most wedding dresses kind of aren't."

The white-haired girl leaned down and looked at the hole. "That's nothing a simple sew job can't fix."

"But it's just so wrong…grrrr" Cordelia replied, throwing her hands up in the air.

"It doesn't look perfect, but you're a beautiful woman. No one will care."

Robin then looked over to Lucina. "Isn't she beautiful?"

The toddler nodded with a grin on her face. Cordelia chuckled.

"So, let's go find Sumia so you can see her," Robin said to Lucina, and they walked away.

Cordelia began turning her head in various directions, looking for Panne so they could continue their conversation about Cordelia and Sumia getting a new house and asking Stahl about the surrogate offer. What caught her attention was Sully having some sort of chat with Kellam, Stahl, and Donnel. Donnel raised his hands up and gritted his teeth, while Stahl laughed and patted the much shorter man on the back.

Just then, everyone's attention was sapped away by loud crashing sounds. Cordelia, along with everyone else, turned her head to the left. Cordelia bit her lip. '_That couldn't have been Sumia, could it?_'

As people began to mutter, Cordelia began walking around, telling people in her way to excuse her as she did so. After a few moments, Cordelia saw her wife on the ground, along with some tables knocked over to the ground. In tripping, she had also managed to get her prosthetic leg knocked off her. That table had been where a lot of the food and beverages were located. And that included the wedding cake.

As Gaius and Maribelle helped Sumia up, and got her leg back onto her, the muttering and murmuring was almost all that Cordelia could hear. People approached the scene, and Sumia placed her hand on her head. Cordelia rushed over to her wife.

"Are you okay?!" Cordelia asked as she placed her hand on Sumia's shoulder.

The redhead jolted when the brunette brushed her hand off.

"Sumia?"

Sumia faced her, and Cordelia could see that her face was red, and tears were beginning to stream down from her face.

"I-I-I-I…." was all that Sumia was saying. "I didn't – I didn't -"

Cordelia frowned, and then Sumia let out a cry before running off. Cordelia extended her hand out, to no avail.

People continued murming around the situation, and they were all turning their heads to face each other. Cordelia buried her face in her hands for a moment, and then Sully walked up to her.

"Jesus, we have to go talk to her," she said.

Cordelia looked back up and sighed. "Yeah…yeah we absolutely do."

* * *

Cordelia and Sully both spent several minutes walking around the park, trying to find any sign of Sumia. Cordelia wanted to place her hands up by her mouth and yell out the brunette's name, but she shook her head the thought. With the state Sumia was in, there was no way she would respond if her name was called. Instead, the two redheaded women would just have to spot her.

Cordelia had one theory as to where she was.

"So, I know you guys like going to this park," Sully said as she followed Cordelia. "I take it we're trying to go to her favorite spot?"

"Yep. It's the only place I can think of."

"She's mentioned going to a specific place in the park before, but never specifies where exactly."

"Well, you're about to find out."

It was only a minute or two of walking around before the two finally saw Sumia. She was slouched down by a tree, her head was buried in her hands, and her shoulders were shaking.

Cordelia just stood there for a moment, her heart aching horribly. She and Sully began walking over to her.

"Sumia," Cordelia said.

All Sumia did to reply was whimper.

Sully groaned. "Sumia, it was just a damn cake. You didn't hurt anyone."

"You're just saying that," the slouched girl replied with. "I ruined the wedding cake and no one else can eat anything. I'm so sorry for ruining your wedding."

Sully shook her head. "You being alright is more important than dumb food. The wedding was fine, and this is just the reception. Trust me, no one is short on alcohol, and that's what really matters if you ask me."

Sumia let out another whimper, and Sully leaned down. She shook her head for a moment before adding, "You did not ruin everything. That's all I wanted to say. No one hates you."

The brunette continued sobbing, and Cordelia placed her hand on Sully's shoulder.

"Thank you, Sully, but leave this to me. It's your wedding reception. Go have fun."

Sully looked at Cordelia and nodded before walking away from the other two.

Cordelia got closer to Sumia and bent down, placing her hands on her kneecaps.

"Sumia."

Her wife continued to sob. "I told you I would mess up. You tried to tell me twice, but I still managed to find a way."

"Sully herself said it was alright. And I know we don't know Kellam as well as her, but he's not going to hate you, either."

"I just try to be better, Cordelia. I really, really try my best."

"I know you do. And you do well."

Cordelia then walked over to Sumia and sat down next to her by the tree. She wrapped her arm around Sumia's shoulders. "Remember that night we confessed our love for each other?"

Sumia looked at her wife and raised an eyebrow. Cordelia smiled at her.

"Well, I stand by everything I said that night. You are still the sweetest person I ever met, and I love you with all my heart. My life is so much better for having you in it. And Sully still cherishes you as a friend, and nobody hates you. The incident doesn't change that. It doesn't change a thing."

Sumia sniffled. "But…but-but I just feel like-like -"

"It is fine," Cordelia replied, before she got to thinking. She got to thinking about the house that she was looking to buy for the two of them, and wondered for a few moments.

Then she locked eyes with Sumia again. "In fact, I love you so much that I've been breaking my back looking for a house for the two of it."

Sumia's face lit up and her eyes widened. "Wait, what? Really?!"

"I have been, yes. We've been living in that apartment for twelve years now. We spent our entire twenties there. It's been nice, but I felt that it was time for a change of pace, and I think we can finally afford one. I had wanted to surprise you with it tomorrow, because I think I found the perfect place, but well…here we are now."

The brown-eyed woman chuckled. "Hee hee….well, that's a big thing to keep secret, but…forget it! Wow! So you've really found us a house?"

"I believe I have. I think you'll love it. And what we _should _do after today is talk to Stahl about being a surrogate father. I cannot wait for us to raise a family together."

Sumia grinned ear-to-ear before lunging herself towards Cordelia and hugging her tightly.

Cordelia kissed Sumia's forehead. "We should get back to the party."

"Yeah, we probably should."

The two of them got up, and Cordelia remembered the hole by her dress. "And look at this, Sumia. I mean, geez."

Sumia looked down to see the hole. "Aw, dang. Well, hold a moment."

Sumia reached up to the top of her dress and tore it a little. The tear was about two inches long. Cordelia merely stared at her for a moment and blinked.

"And you did that why?" Cordelia asked, tilting her head.

"You're not the only one with a tear now, are you?" Sumia replied, smiling.

Cordelia rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, okay than. Like I said, you're sweet."

Cordelia returned a smile towards her wife before the two began walking back to the party.

Right away, the spotted a figure in the distance, and it wasn't long before they realized it was Robin and Lucina.

"Ah, there you guys are! I was just looking for you!" Robin said when the two got closer.

Lucina extended her arms towards Sumia, and Sumia lifted her up in her arms and held her tightly. "Well, how are you doing, sweetheart?" she asked the baby.

"Good. You better?" Lucina asked.

Sumia looked at Cordelia for a moment before looking back at Lucina. "I am now!"

Cordelia let out one more sigh, one of happiness is time.

* * *

_Some Time Later_

Cordelia stared at her new kitchen with content. They had just gotten done getting settled into their new house. The walls were painted a clear and stark white, with navy blue cabinets and sleek silver refrigerator/freezer. There was a black kitchen table right next to where Cordelia was standing. She had her hands on her hips. She wore a black-and-white shirt with jeans and gray tennis shoes on.

She turned around to see Sumia chatting with Sully and Panne, Stahl, and Kellam talking amongst themselves. Sumia radiated in a pink dress and flats. Sully and Sumia then waved to each other before the former waved goodbye to Cordelia, who did the same. She tapped on Kellam's shoulder, and the two got going.

Panne then walked up to Cordelia. "Alright, I got to get going. My plane tomorrow leaves first thing in the morning. I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Alright, have fun on your trip," Cordelia said.

The two waved at each other, and Panne waved goodbye to Sumia before leaving. As she walked out the door, with Sully and Kellam seeing driving away from the house.

Then Stahl grabbed out his keys from his pocket and looked over to Cordelia. "So, the surrogacy….I will definitely be able to donate my sperm tomorrow."

Sumia smiled. "That's fantastic!"

"That's so great," Cordelia added on. "Thank you so much for agreeing!"

"It's no trouble at all!" Stahl said. "Alright, I should get going, too. See you guys later."

And the three said their goodbyes before Stahl walked out the door. Cordelia and Sumia looked at each other.

"A new house, we're going to have a child….life is great," Sumia said, pressing her head onto Cordelia's chest.

"Yeah, it really is," Cordelia replied, patting Sumia's back.

"You know, I was beginning to think of names -"

"Let's not worry about that right now. I was thinking we could just lay down for a while and watch some TV."

Sumia looked up at Cordelia. "Yeah, we can do that. That would be great."

And with that, the two got a blanket and laid down on their couch, turning the television on. Cordelia wrapped her arms tightly around Sumia as the latter pressed herself again. Sumia let out a squeak, to which Cordelia smiled.

The redhead began to rub the brunette's back as they looked for channels to watch.

They found something they both liked, and turned it onto that. Cordelia looked at Sumia for a moment, and stroked her hair.

This was all she wanted. And she could not wait for the path to come.


End file.
